Philadelphia, PA (January 3, 2017): Centro Nueva Creación will kick off the new year by hosting its annual Winter Celebration, honoring the power of arts and culture to build self-esteem and resilience in young people.

The Centro Nueva Creación Winter Celebration will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2017, above the Philadelphia skyline on the 42nd floor of the BNY Mellon Center in Center City. The evening will include live music, salsa dancing, drinks, catered hors d’oeuvres, as well as a silent auction.

All funds raised from the evening will support Centro Nueva Creación’s primary programs, including the flagship photography program, “The Goodlands®,” the afterschool program, and summer camp. Centro Nueva Creación serves elementary school students from one of Philadelphia’s most depressed and dangerous neighborhoods. Parents in this community rely on Centro Nueva Creación as a safe haven for their children, a resource that aids their children in educational success, and an environment of creativity and encouragement that fosters their children’s social and emotional growth.

"The funds raised from the Winter Celebration are critical for Centro Nueva Creación to continue to provide and evolve its dynamic programs for the Fairhill community. One of the most important aspects about these programs is the confidence that is instilled in these children as they discover themselves through their engagement with arts and culture. It’s events like these that allow us to reach more children in new and creative ways while we continue our mission and promote such a strong grassroots organization and cultural cornerstone of the Fairhill community.” says Dan Berger, Board President at Centro Nueva Creación.

ABOUT CENTRO NUEVA CREACION Centro Nueva Creación is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization established in 1995 with a mission to promote resiliency in young people through educational enrichment and engagement with the arts and Latino cultures. For more than 20 years, Centro Nueva Creación has been helping young people in the North Philadelphia community of Fairhill succeed both in and out of school.

Students learn the skills of photography and the power of framing their own world along with it. This summer, University of the Arts students volunteered with Centro to help students focus on the positive aspects of their neighborhood through photography. Although the neighborhood has a history of violence sustained by drug sales and poverty, photography utilizes children’s inherent strengths to contribute to the positive development of themselves and their community. Photography provides opportunities for Centro students to find their voice and creatively express themselves through the arts.

Deepest thanks to the US Forest Services for sponsoring a field trip for Centro students to the Silas Little Experimental Forest in the NJ Pinelands! Centro students were given the opportunity to escape the city for a day and explore science and nature hands-on in the NJ forest!

Our adventure included experiments with wood, soil, water, and litmus paper; a demonstration of how fire opens pitch pine cones to release their seeds; an introduction to the skulls of various woodland animals; a lesson on identifying the age and history of trees; a walk through a wetland trail observing carnivorous plants, and sightings of frogs and snakes!

We are grateful to the Forest Service for the opportunity and financial support in making this possible!